Every day, there is smoke billowing somewhere in Shanghai. Particularly, in our neighborhood, it happens practically 24 hours a day. Sometimes, it's so grey outside, that you honestly think it's a very cloudy day. You can't identify the direction it's coming from...but none the less, you can really smell it. Here in China, there is no environmental protection agency. At least that I know of. Really. People openly burn their trash on the side of the roads, toss their plastics on the side and most of all, people hang their laundry out to dry with the distinct aroma of burned trash clinging to their freshly laundered goods. Go figure. Often times, I like to have the windows open to get the fresh air circulating. Only then, when I get a whiff of the burning trash, I quickly close the windows. Haven't these people figured out about recycling for the sake of the environment and not burning the trash that is clearly ruining the ozone layer? Guess not.Back in the US, I was an avid recycler. Newspapers, magazines, paper products, glass, cans and plastics. You know the weekly pick up was quite enormous coming out of my home. I am still recycling here. I sort everything out and put it into a separate bag. Tony thinks it's an absolute waste of time for me to sort since the locals don't do it. I can't break my habit. I am really trying to contribute to the environment. Instead, the locals put all the trash into one bin and then someone has the unpleasant job of sorting through everything to pull out the plastic and what not. That is really not a pleasant job and I feel for the person who has to do it. I've walked by and seen someone diving into the dumpster pulling things out into a pile. I can't figure out why the government hasn't implemented recycling. Perhaps it's to give the locals jobs to sort through the dumpster.
So, when we return from this assignment, I will probably glow in the dark from all the environmental hazards I have exposed myself and my family to. It'll be my souvenir from this part of the world.
